Jardine Juniper Hike in Logan Canyon

 June 16, 2012-My good friend Jody had a little hike up her sleeve planned and I wanted to go. Plus, this will mean it's her turn to come to my mountain and hike Timpanogos with me.  Next to running, hiking rates right up there with activities I enjoy.  I would have to say that hiking probably even surpasses running.  Because of my new goal with running a marathon in September I just wasn't sure when I would be able to hike on a Saturday because of my addiction to signing up for half marathons which are always on Saturdays and also because of scheduled long runs.  Well, Jody organized this right away on a Saturday I didn't have a race and so I jumped at the opportunity and headed up to Brigham City, bright and early at 5:30 a.m.  I got there at 7:00 a.m. and ate some oatmeal and pears and then we headed out the door.  We picked up her neighbors, Ben and Mary Beth, and their son Tanner and rode on up to Logan Canyon.

At the trail head getting ready to start our hiking-It's always fun to get a before picture.

 Even though this tree is completely dead looking I loved the color and the contrast against the greenery and the blue sky!

 About a mile into the hike

Enjoying the sun just coming over the peaks

 Ben, Tanner, Marybeth, Doran, me about 2 1/2 miles in.

 A slimy waterfall

 Loving this trail and looking so forward to running down it later!

Jody and Doran Shelley-some of the nicest people you will ever meet!

 Oh goodness!  Yes, I'm acting like a little smart alec!  Don't you love my big clown feet shoes?  They are the most awesome trail shoes ever. 

We made it to the top of the mountain but not quite to our destination yet.

 Twinner watches!  They are so sweet!

After 5.2 miles and a 1900 feet elevation change we made it to the Jardine Juniper tree that is supposed to be 1500 years old.

I didn't touch the tree, promise!  I only needed a picture to show proportion.

 All that's alive on this old thing is the very tippy top where there's a little bit of greenery hanging on. Kind of sad.

After you get done looking at the tree look over to the very right of the photo and see the road that continues on up to Bear Lake.  Yes, we are pretty high up.

 We were going to eat our lunch here but there was no shade, so after admiring the tree for a little bit we headed back on the trail to go search for a place to relax and eat.

 Oh this was a much better place.

 At this point it was time for me to say good-bye.  I had told Jody before we hiked that I had a 6 mile scheduled run for today and that I would be doing that going down the mountain.  So off I went and thoroughly enjoyed every moment running in this beautiful place.  Once I got to the bottom I had to run around a campground and the parking lot a few times to get my full mileage for the day which was A O.K. with me. 

This was an absolutely perfect, beautiful day and I always come away from being in nature so invigorated and refreshed and ready to go again.  I'm so glad I was able to spend some time with friends and enjoy something I love so much.
Thank you so much Jody and Doran for inviting me!

If you would like to know more about this old tree I am adding that here for you to enjoy.

Jardine Juniper is one of the oldest living things. It began life long before the pioneers entered Cache Valley, long before Jim Bridger and other mountain men lived here and possibly before the Shoshoni Indians inhabited the valley. It was once thought to be 3200 years old. Then in the 1950's a core sample was taken and the tree was found to be 1500 years old. 

Jardine Juniper was discovered in 1923 by Maurice Linford, also the year that the last grizzly bear in Utah was killed. In the 1870's something alarming happened to the Juniper. Its growth rate slowed by more than two-thirds. We don't know the cause for sure, but whatever happened brought a premature death to the Juniper. 

The Jardine Juniper is still alive, but barely. Jardine Juniper is taking longer to die than most humans live. If you are fortunate enough to see Jardine Juniper, you will notice that it is very sick and on the edge of life. Many people like to take this hike during the summer to see one of the oldest known living things on earth.

Mondays with Mr. Miles

This little guy warms my heart every time I see him and am with him. Kali and Wade went on a date to celebrate Wade's birthday and I got to have little Miles come over and play. We went to the park and he played in the dirt and next thing I realized he was rubbing his face and throwing wood chips everywhere. Of course he didn't care.  I had to bribe him with chalkmoke (chocolate milk) to get him to leave and go wash up.

A grandchild is a gift from above ... one to cherish and to love."

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"A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty."

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"Grandparents and grandchildren are God's gift to each other."

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"You Put the Grand in Grandma."

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"Whenever I see you I have an uncontrollable urge to fling open my arms, excitedly shout your name and scoop you up."

Marathon Training Plan-Week 2 of 16

Still Plugging away at this training and loving more time in the hills than on the road. I really hope that's a good thing.

Week #2

Monday June 11th-Walked 3 miles in the am-Ran 3 miles in the pm

Since the Utah Valley Half Marathon was just 2 days previous to Monday's scheduled 3 mile run I was a little hesitant to run so soon, so I got up and a did a brisk walk in the park in the morning (we live right next to a park so it's very convenient) and then did a 3 mile run on the treadmill in the evening while catching up on Sister Wives.  Yes, I like that show but don't condone their lifestyle.

    

Tuesday June 12th-Rest day-walked 5 miles 

with Laurie.  All of my Tuesdays and Fridays will probably say walking with Laurie.  She's always there for me.

Wednesday June 13th-Ran 6 miles 

I am having a huge dilemma.  I want to get up in the hills and run but it's so tricky being alone and feeling safe.  I did it anyway.  My husband even drove me to the trail head.  I ran an out and back for a total of 3 miles and then ran on home for an additional 3 miles to make 6 for the day.  

Thursday June 14th-Ran 3 miles 

  around the neighborhood.  I also found a tiny little stretch of a dirt path to run on near State Street, so yes, I ran up and down that a few times. 

Friday June 15th-Rest day-walked 5 miles 

with Laurie. We have a general meeting spot and after we do our regular route sometimes I walk her all the way home for additional mileage or I will do a few laps around the park.  I love the cool mornings and being outside in it.

Saturday June 16th-Hiked in Logan Canyon 12 Miles-6 miles walking and 6 miles running

Hiked straight up a mountain (doesn't going up any mountain feel like straight up?-ha) and enjoyed some beautiful views and an old Juniper tree that's 1500 years old.  I will be blogging about this whole day in another post.

Sunday June 17th-Happy Father's Day to my dad and my sweetie!

It's definitely a rest day!
 

Total Running Miles: 18

Total Walking Miles: 19

Father's Day and Wade's Birthday

We celebrated Father's Day a day early in our house this year. Kali and Wade were heading out of town to spend the week in Disneyland and California. So we gave Mark a present, which Miles happily helped out in the unwrapping of.

But then when it was unwrapped he tried to run away with the goods!

Mark was successful in getting it back.  We used to watch Dinosaurs when it was on TV and loved the little baby dinosaur who always sits in his high chair and yells "Not the Mama"  Mark likes some of the old TV series that aren't on anymore and so occasionally that's what we get him for presents. 

Wade's actual birthday was today and he needed a nice large canopy to go under his new tent he got from his parents for Christmas and so Mark picked it out and I bonked him on the head with it.

Kali made some super delicious chocolate cupcakes with swirly cream cheese frosting and we indulged.

Happy Father's Day and Happy Birthday 

to two special people in our family.

The next day, the real Father's Day, we headed over to my parent's home after church and visited my mom and dad and ate lemon cake and ice cream.  It was nice to visit other family members as well who were there.

Utah Valley Half Marathon

The morning started out so very early with the alarm going off at 3:00 am. I think I was able to get about 5 hours of sleep.  I got myself ready and picked up my daughter, Kali, at 3:50 am. This was to be her first half marathon and I was so excited for her to participate. Now, since she is almost 5 months pregnant and has been so sick for so long she wasn't able to do much training. I was just so proud of her wanting to at least get out there and walk the course, and earn her medal regardless.  Here we are standing in line to get on the buses at the Provo Mall at 4:30 am.

 Josh asked  me to pick up his packet for him at the expo the night before so we met up with him at the buses and rode up to the starting line with him and his friend. Speaking of buses, these were not the usual, yellow school buses, but nice plush buses.  We got to ride in style.  Along the way as we rode in the darkness and listened to the chatter going on I started getting so nervous.  13 miles is a long way to go while contemplating the race before me.

Once we reached the starting line area we got off the buses and headed straight to the honey bucket line.  It was about 5:15 am and the lines were huge.  We waited quite a long time to use them.  I just have to say these were the nicest port-a-potties I've ever seen.  They had a magical little flushing stick in them and the hole was covered with some sort of rubber that opened and shut when you flushed.  Pretty awesome to actually be in one of these and not have bad smells to deal with. Here's me and Kali waiting in the line.  The weather was absolutely beautiful, not too cold, not too hot.  I remember last year absolutely freezing and trying to squeeze in to the fire pits for warmth, but that was not the case this year and I was so grateful.

The sun started coming up and the race people were announcing to get your drop bags loaded in the next ten minutes so I had to book it pretty far to get our bags down to the truck.  Then I came back and got Kali and we meandered to the starting line.  I saw Josh again and he told me Fast Cory was further up in the crowd.  I just had to see this Nacho Libre outfit he has been announcing he would be wearing.  What a crack up he is. If you'd like to read about his experience go check out his blog.  He had a completely different experience than the usual half marathon runner.  Honestly, I don't know how he lasted 13 miles in a sweaty mask.  He certainly knows how to rile the crowd and have a good time though.

The race started right on time and off we went.  I told Kali I would just plan to come back and get her when I finished.  I was hoping so much that she wouldn't quit part way through.  She just wasn't sure what her body was going to do and wasn't sure she had the physical stamina at this point.  I told her it was mostly mental and to stay strong.

  This was the first race I've run carrying my phone and so I called her when I reached mile 6.  I was so impressed to hear she was already at mile 4.  She was doing it and being awesome at the same time!

I called her again when I reached mile 10 and she was at mile 7 and was a bit sore but hoping for a bagel and some moral support from her hubby.  She was still hanging in there though and was doing great.

Last year the Utah Valley Half Marathon handed out otter pops but I passed on them then.  This year seemed to be just a little bit warmer, though not unbearable and I decided to eat one.  It was so delicious, and was the perfect treat at the right time. I should have grabbed two of those babies.

My goal for this race was simply to be faster this year than last year, which I am happy to say happened.  I crossed the finish line at 2:26:18 which was a 12 minute improvement from 2011.(even after having to make a pit stop, which I didn't have to do last year)  

 Racing still feels hard to me.  I still wonder if there's a point when it will feel more natural and enjoyable.  I still wonder if I will get faster or if I'm basically about as fast as I'm going to get.  Four of my half marathons this year have been in the two hour and twenty something minute range and so I'm thinking that's about where my body likes to run. I'm not quite mentally ready to do speed work, nor do I think I ever will want to. So I may just have to be content with my times for now.   Most important fact is I'm out there running and enjoying the racing community and those great feelings that running produces. 

I love this family and these cute, mega talented girls.  I have taught all of them piano and am currently still teaching two of them. Laurie is my stalwart walking companion and I appreciate her to the moon and back!

Cooper and Mark support me at about every race they possibly can.  I love the men in my life!

After some visiting of family and friends and taking photos, and of course eating the after-race treats I said good-bye and headed back up the course to go find Kali.  I called her and asked her where she was and she said she wasn't sure if she had passed mile 10 yet.  So back I went and absolutely loved watching the marathoners run by.  I did so much cheering and clapping that my hands and lungs were getting tired.  I'm not sure some of those serious runners appreciated my loud moral support when they were so in the zone and close to the end of their 26 miles.  They probably thought I just needed to shut it.

I found my dear Kali at about mile 11.  She was so tired and her body was aching, but she was determined to finish.  We took it slow and cautious and just kept walking.  I made her eat a GU, which she was apprehensive about because she had never had one.  I think the fact that it was chocolate made her say yes.  

Wade, Miles, Mark, and Cooper had walked up the street about 5 blocks to the 7-11 and bought a slurpee.  We found them there and they walked the rest of the way with us to center street.  I was shocked that Kali actually put Miles on her shoulders and carried him for a couple blocks.

She crossed the finish line in just a little over 4 hours and proudly got her medal and a few treats.  We honestly thought we were the very last half marathoners to come through the finish line but in looking up online the results there were actually 5 more people behind us.  I think Kali was a little disappointed.  She wanted bragging rights to being in last place.

I encouraged Kali to get right home and get her body in an ice bath, which I was surprised she actually did.  She said it did help somewhat.  I swear by them. I would never end a race without one.

You know what the best thing Kali said to me later in the day was?  She wants to do this again next year!!! I am one super happy mama!!!

I came home and cleaned up for the day and met up with Janae at her favorite dessert establishment, yogurtland, and a whole bunch of other running people.  I'm so glad Julia came because although I blog stalk a lot of these runners I have never met them in real life.  It was fun to talk to a few of them and hear their running stories and hear voices with the faces.

I think Utah Valley Half Marathon has become a lasting tradition I hope to enjoy for many years.

Marathon Training Plan-Week 1 of 16

As I start this new journey of preparing for a full marathon I decided I wanted to keep track on my little old blog here to keep me accountable for the next 16 weeks.

Week #1

Monday June 4th-Ran 6 miles 

 on the trails with Julia.  The weather was a little warm but it was so much fun to explore a new trail in Provo.  I love trail running so much but realize I need to spend most of my training on the road to mimic the course of the marathon.  We'll see as time goes by how much I adhere to that idea. 

    

Tuesday June 5th-Rest day-walked 4 miles 

with Laurie.  Trust me that even though this is a scheduled rest day, it's truly not resting when I walk with this girl.  We are picking 'em up and putting 'em down for a solid hour.

Wednesday June 6th-Ran 4.5 miles 

on the treadmill while watching the finale of American Idol.  I already was aware that Phil Phillips had won but I had to watch it anyway.  He is such a great singer and was such a humble winner.  It was a pretty tender moment when he cried at the end and couldn't finish singing so instead he walked out to the audience to hug his family.  Precious. 

Thursday June 7th-Ran 3 miles 

outside in the early morning sunshine.  Nothing exciting about this run.  Just had to get it done. Probably the wrong attitude for week 1. 

Friday June 8th-Rest day-walked 3.25 miles 

with Laurie.  I had to cut it short this morning to get somewhere.  I'm so grateful Laurie is so supportive and flexible with my marathon schedule.  She has been my walking buddy for many years.  She's always been so willing to change things up for me and my crazy ideas.  

Saturday June 9th-Ran Utah Valley Half Marathon-13.1 miles 

and then after indulging in a few goodies and visiting my family and friends I headed back up the road to go get my daughter Kali, who is almost 5 months pregnant and was just planning to walk the whole course.  I put in an additional 5 miles of walking with her.

Sunday June 10th-A real true rest day! 

I definitely enjoy some much needed R and R.

Total Running Miles:  26.5

Total Walking Miles:  12.25

Utah Valley Half Marathon Recap coming next

First Marathon and Race Addictions

I SIGNED UP FOR MY FIRST MARATHON!

Big Cottonwood Canyon Marathon

September 22, 2012

(more about that later)

Race addictions:
Isn't the first step of recovery admitting you have a problem?  What if the addiction isn't a bad problem?  What if the addiction is a good one?  Well, I think I'm officially addicted to running races, and I'm thinking any recovery isn't necessary.  The side bar over there-----------> keeps growing as I find myself being more and more thrilled with signing up and running races.  My husband wishes I would sign up for races that are a little more far away so that we can actually go somewhere and have a vacation.  So, that is one of the reasons for the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon in July.  When I started running and training in December of 2010 I had no idea I would love running in races so much.  In fact my friend Jody invited me to run a 5K with her in March of 2011 and I remember thinking and even saying out loud to her "Why would people spend so much money running races when you can just do it for free on your own?"  I just didn't get it then, but boy am I ever eating my words now.

Running of the Leopards 5K in Salt Lake City-March 2011

My very first 5K-30:40

I started my running journey about a year and a half ago when my cute daughter Kali, suggested as we were driving up the freeway, to run a half marathon together.  I chuckled at first and then my wheels in my brain started turning and I became very intrigued.  I thought about it for a few days and even weeks and then  I went ahead and signed up for my first half marathon which was to be the Utah Valley Half Marathon in June of 2011.

Utah Valley Half Marathon-June 2011-2:38:02

So now here it is June 2012 and I am running Utah Valley Half Marathon again on Saturday, EXACTLY one year since my first half marathon. I have no big expectations as I prepare to run on Saturday, of course except to beat my last year's time.  It should happen unless something goes very wrong.  I'm really just hoping to see a few familiar faces and just have a great time out there.  My daughter, Kali, signed up for the race this year and then became pregnant so her plans are to walk the course.  I'm looking forward to running my race and then heading back to get her and finish with her.  That will give me more opportunities to cheer for the FULL marathon people as they come by.  Yes, it's true that people can run a full marathon faster than I can run a half marathon.

Speaking of full marathons....I have been seeing this particular race advertised on Facebook for a few weeks now and it's been speaking to my soul.  I've been wanting to run a marathon for some time now but have just felt like the biggest chicken.  After my Draper Trails running experiences and being encouraged by a few running friends I decided to go ahead and sign up.  That was the HARDEST submit button I ever pushed on the computer.  I have exactly 16 weeks to train and prepare which is perfect and so now with week one almost done I'm feeling excited and trying not to get too nervous as I look ahead at some of the longer runs on the schedule.  I've been told to just go into this marathon with the plan to finish and without any expectations on a specific time.  Then there won't be any disappointments.  I know that will be hard to do because as of now I just want to take my average half marathon time and double it but I've been told it doesn't quite work that way.  So finishing a marathon is the goal for now.  Marathon #2 will be the one I set a time for. If you have any marathon training tips or words of advice please feel free to gush them now.

The Pink Donut Half Marathon

My last couple of posts I've talked about a new running friend named Josh and his love of running half marathons, and his incredible weight loss success.  Well, when he found out that FastCory does a Hostess Half Marathon in Hurricane he immediately wanted to organize something up in the North part of the State involving food and running.  Josh's mother has cancer and so Josh is on a quest to raise money to help cure cancer.

If you would like to run with a few of us crazy, happy runners then please join us on July 7th, 2012.  I would do more explaining here but I think Josh's blog shares all the details much better than I can so head over there and sign up.  It's limited to the first 25 runners so hurry fast.

Inspired by Running Friends

Sometimes the stars align and next thing happening is I'm meeting people who have inspired me longer than I have known them or met them. Does that make sense? (only through the blog world)  I met Julia in person only a few weeks ago, but have been reading her blog much longer, and I'm already so inspired by her abilities and enjoy running on the trails so much with her.  I love her lofty goals and ambitions.  I also appreciate the fact that she is just a super nice person and has a great set of morals and values.  She's basically a super positive little lady and I'm glad I get the opportunity to be her friend for a short time. I'm so sad that she is moving away in a couple of months.  Whatever will I do for trail running?  Hubby won't let me get a dog. (not that I could handle one anyway-anybody have a dog they can loan me?)  I guess I'll have to invest in some mace or keep trying to bribe some of my friends to take up trail running with me. heh heh

Then there's Josh, whose blog I only found a couple weeks ago.  In fact he was the one that posted about the Draper Trails 15 mile race and I immediately signed up because it looked so awesome.  Josh has lost 175 pounds and is the epitome of staying active and healthy.  He has already run 10 half marathons this year and plans on running a total of 24, with two of those being actual full marathons!  Go Josh!!  I enjoy reading Josh's blog because he is so positive and finds joy in everyone of his runs.  He wears denim and pink shoes in most of his races, and carries a banana.  I also enjoy reading blogs that make me laugh and Josh knows how to do that.  If I could claim him as another one of my sons I would in a heartbeat.

Then there's Cory.  I'm not sure what I can say about him that would even measure up to his greatness.  This guy runs 100 mile races in the sun, backwards and with his eyes closed.  O.k., not really all of that but he is basically my running idol.  A few days ago he had emailed Julia and said he would be in town and wanted to run the Draper Trails with a bunch of hommies.  Of course I jumped at the opportunity.  I have been reading Cory's blog for a long time now as well and if I ever run an ultra-marathon it will be because of him.  He writes about ultra-marathons as if anyone with enough mental strength and desire can do them.  Although I know they're challenging he totally makes them seem so do-able and I am so intrigued by the whole distance thing anyway.  I would say his example is partly to blame for my 46 mile birthday adventure.  It was so much fun to run with him and just glean from his knowledge.

So we hit the trails on a Wednesday evening and ran our little hearts out.  After about 4 miles into our run and keeping an eye on the time so as not to get stuck on the trails in the dark we turned around and headed back down the mountain.  We finished up with a total of 8 miles after running up and down the parking lot so the mileage would be exact.  Yes, I am one of those that can't end a run on an odd number.  Then I pulled out the treats!  I knew Julia liked chocolate so I brought no bake cookies.  I knew Cory liked Twinkies.  He is the KING of Hostess. You can read all about his hostess article in the ultra running magazine he was published in here.  They should just hire him to be a spokes person.  So I brought zingers.  I knew Josh liked pizza, but sadly I wasn't able to round up a pizza.  I think the after-race treats hit the spot! 

Trails are where it's at people!  SO MUCH FUN!